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Clinton and Obama on Radio in Wyoming

By Sarah Wheaton March 6, 2008 3:17 pmMarch 6, 2008 3:17 pm

When Republicans in Wyoming moved their caucuses to Jan. 5, the state’s Democrats held back. And now, even though their contest is much later in the game, on Saturday, Democrats are getting perhaps more attention than the Republican contest did.

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois both have 60-second radio advertisements in the state.Mrs. Clinton’s spot touts her plan for universal health care coverage. It features the story of Barbara Marzelli of New Hampshire, whose 10-year-old son has major heart problems but has benefited from the children’s health insurance program that she championed.

“I’ve met her, I’ve read her health care plan,” says Ms. Marzelli, who is also featured at among the “Hillary I Know” videos. “I remember walking up to her and saying, ‘I would feel a lot more safe if you were president than I have in many, many years.”

“All across America, people are working hard, doing the best they can,” Mr. Obama says. “But for decades now, while Wall Street has prospered, most Americans have been running in place.”

An announcer says Mr. Obama would “close corporate tax loopholes so we can cut taxes for working families and start small business in Wyoming so our kids don’t have to leave home to follow their dreams.”

The announcer specifically asks people to caucus for Mr. Obama before listing a phone number and a Web site with caucus location information.

Here are some Real Tough Questions you should get ready for Senator Clinton

• What type of Foreign Policy Experience has Senator Clinton had
• While President Clinton was in the White House was Hillary Clinton giving security clearance to read any national intelligent information in case a crisis came up
• What Foreign Leaders has she met with and what were the bases of the meetings.
• Why didn’t Senator Clinton read NIE Report before she voted to go to war?
• Do you think if Chelsea were in the military, she would have exercised more precaution before agreeing with President Bush War Strategy
• Why did it take Senator Clinton until now to regret her vote?
• What makes her a more qualified woman to be President over someone like Barbara Boxer who actually had the courage to vote against the War
• Why is your campaign taking money from a Firm being accused of Serial Sexual Harassment?
• Has one of Senator Clintons campaign chairman also taken money from Tony Rezko and if so
• Has Senator Clintons campaign chairman given the money back or donated to charity
• Don’t you think Courage is more important than being Politically Safe?

OTTAWA — The leak of a confidential diplomatic discussion that rocked the U.S. presidential campaign began with an offhand remark to journalists from the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Ian Brodie.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed yesterday to use whatever investigative means necessary to find the source of leaks that, he said, were “unfair” to U.S. Democratic candidate Barack Obama and may have been illegal — although opposition leaders insisted the Conservatives cannot be trusted to investigate political players on their own team.

But the story that reverberated through the U.S. presidential campaign began as a terse, almost throwaway remark that Mr. Brodie made to journalists from CTV, according to people familiar with the events.

Mr. Brodie, during the media lockup for the Feb. 26 budget, stopped to chat with several journalists, and was surrounded by a group from CTV.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff Ian Brodie watches from the back of the room during a photo op before the government caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Wednesday. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

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The conversation turned to the pledges to renegotiate the North American free-trade agreement made by the two Democratic contenders, Mr. Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Brodie, apparently seeking to play down the potential impact on Canada, told the reporters the threat was not serious, and that someone from Ms. Clinton’s campaign had even contacted Canadian diplomats to tell them not to worry because the NAFTA threats were mostly political posturing.

The Canadian Press cited an unnamed source last night as saying that several people overheard the remark.

The news agency quoted that source as saying that Mr. Brodie said that someone from Ms. Clinton’s campaign called and was “telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt.”

The story was followed by CTV’s Washington bureau chief, Tom Clark, who reported that the Obama campaign, not the Clinton’s, had reassured Canadian diplomats.

Mr. Clark cited unnamed Canadian sources in his initial report.

There was no explanation last night for why Mr. Brodie was said to have referred to the Clinton campaign but the news report was about the Obama campaign. Robert Hurst, president of CTV News, declined to comment.

The Prime Minister’s communications director, Sandra Buckler, has said that Mr. Brodie “does not recall” discussing the issue.

On Tuesday, Mr. Harper denied that Mr. Brodie was a source of the leak — but he appeared to be referring to a diplomatic memo that described the key conversation between an adviser to Mr. Obama and Canada’s consul-general in Chicago, Georges Rioux.

Although Mr. Harper has for days brushed aside allegations that his government interfered in the U.S. presidential campaign, yesterday he promised to “get to the bottom” of the matter and said laws may have been broken.

“It is not in the interest of the Government of Canada, and the way the leak was executed, Mr. Speaker, was blatantly unfair to Senator Obama and his campaign,” the Prime Minister said in the Commons.

“We will make sure that every legal and every investigative technique necessary is undertaken to find out who exactly is behind this.”

But opposition politicians accused Mr. Harper of hiding behind artful denials — ignoring the verbal leak, while denying that the diplomatic memo came from his top aide.

However, Mr. Harper did not appear to be distinguishing between the two leaks yesterday.

Yesterday, he said he had asked the top civil servant, Clerk of the Privy Council Kevin Lynch, to call in an internal security team, with the help of Foreign Affairs.

Members of the opposition asserted that an internal inquiry is unlikely to look seriously at Mr. Harper’s own high-level political aides and appointees, such as Mr. Brodie, or Michael Wilson, Canada’s ambassador to Washington.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said it is time to call in the RCMP.

The first leak sparked stories that Mr. Obama had privately delivered a message through an aide to Canadian diplomats that the stand against NAFTA was more political posturing than a real policy plan.

The Clinton campaign seized on the stories to argue that Mr. Obama was making promises that he did not mean. The Obama campaign sputtered after this and other attacks on his experience and integrity.

Days later, the leak of the internal Canadian diplomatic note revealed that Mr. Obama’s adviser, Austan Goolsbee, spoke to Mr. Rioux on Feb. 8.

In a summary of the meeting written by Canadian diplomat Joseph de Mora, Mr. Goolsbee was described as indicating that Mr. Obama’s NAFTA stand “should be viewed as more about political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans.” Mr. Goolsbee denied using those terms.

Mr. Clark of CTV says he called Mr. Wilson for reaction.

The next day, the embassy and Mr. Obama’s campaign denied the story. Since Mr. de Mora’s memo was leaked to The Associated Press, the Canadian embassy in Washington won’t respond to questions about “NAFTA-gate,” as the issue has been dubbed.

Hillary Clinton has stated states like Wyoming don’t count, that the states that Obama won and caucuses are insignificant. She even cursed out Iowa and their caucus when she lost there saying it didn’t count. People who intend to vote for Hillary Clinton need to ask her what experience she actually has to be president. I’m sure after a long and winding silence, the answer you will get will be a long and winding nothing. And also Wyoming, watch the tv the night before the election, if she cries, she’s done that before too.

to#2 kathleen`~yes!!let’s hear it for the experience.
Not only didn’t she deliver 200,000 jobs, they lost 30,000! Mismanaged campaign finances,and had to loan her campaign 5million…from a joint aaccount with Bill. So where does THAT money come from? Oh,that’s right, they haven’t released their tax returns. Voters have no idea who donated to the clinton foundation, Bill’s library,her senatorial campaign, how much and what they expect in return. The money in their joint account would
be the funds of the potential president. We have a right to know.

Yes, it is interesting how does Clinton claim to win the general election when she has been dismissive of the smaller states that Obama has won. She has already burned her bridges in this respect. Obama or any democrat for for that matter will win the majority of the states that Clinto has won i.e CA, NY, MASS etc.

Come on…Obama is the best chance there is for hope in the US. he is the only one who can bring something fresh right now that would be good for the American people and not something that others have tried and failed in the past.

What is it about Obamaistas? Is this meant to be a subtle attempt to get those “silly country hicks” to get angry and vote for Obama?

I assure you that the Wyoming voters are smart enough to spot the typical negative attacks so common with Obamas minions. He has legions doing his hatchet jobs on the internet so he can keep his hands clean. A tactic Carl Rove would be proud of.

I think the HRC campaign released a memo today complaining about Obama’s responses to her negative campaigning. I think someone else said this but it bears repeating … “the memo is sort of like starting a fight, then complaining when the other guy hits you back.”

Read the comments to the articles in the Wyoming newspapers. They are IN LOVE with Hillary. She is going to blow BozObama away in Wyoming. Just like Texas and Ohio – Wyomingites are real Americans. They will not allow America to be damaged by this fool – this Pied Piper that morons follow into oblivion. With all his money he couldn’t buy Texas. Reports have been coming out about all the pressure at the caucus sites by BozObama’s desciples trying to intimidate Hillary supporters. BozObama – the party is over!!!!

I hope every media outlet in Wyoming picks up on the Globe and Mail’s front page story today (globeandmail.com), referred to above. Heck, I hope every media outlet in the country does. Has the NYT covered it yet?

Carol asks “why the hostility?” I bet she’s an only child and never got into trouble for something a sibling did and then blamed on her.

Huge promises of hope with no plan of action means nothing. Politicians can promise the sun and moon but get them to outline real policy and you have something tangible to nail they hides to later. Obama promise big dollops of nothing, at least Hillary seems intent to do something real.

INTFrom NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Per the Toronto Globe and Mail, in a story that was the lead on the paper’s front page today, that call to the Canadian embassy was actually from the Clinton campaign, not Obama’s:
“Mr. [Ian] Brodie, [PM Harper’s chief of staff], during the media lockup for the Feb. 26 budget, stopped to chat with several journalists, and was surrounded by a group from CTV. The conversation turned to the pledges to renegotiate the North American free-trade agreement made by the two Democratic contenders, Mr. Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton.
“Mr. Brodie, apparently seeking to play down the potential impact on Canada, told the reporters the threat was not serious, and that someone from Ms. Clinton’s campaign had even contacted Canadian diplomats to tell them not to worry because the NAFTA threats were mostly political posturing. The Canadian Press cited an unnamed source last night as saying that several people overheard the remark.
“The news agency quoted that source as saying that Mr. Brodie said that someone from Ms. Clinton’s campaign called and was ‘telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt.’
“The story was followed by CTV’s Washington bureau chief, Tom Clark, who reported that the Obama campaign, not the Clinton’s, had reassured Canadian diplomats.
“Mr. Clark cited unnamed Canadian sources in his initial report. There was no explanation last night for why Mr. Brodie was said to have referred to the Clinton campaign but the news report was about the Obama

Mr. Obama’s ad has some Wyoming-specific language and includes a subtle dig at the Clinton years.
“All across America, people are working hard, doing the best they can,” Mr. Obama says. “But for decades now, while Wall Street has prospered, most Americans have been running in place.”

Fine for the subtle dig at the Clinton years, but does Mr. Obama’s specific-language includes a solution, other than the century-old promise to close corporate tax loopholes?

Poor people care more about money and health insurance plans, which is money, in their pockets than the closing of tax loopholes. They are used to them by now.

It sounds like a rerun of Ohio, without Nafta (perhaps) and with “who do you trust more?”.

Post #6: You might want to go back and read that story more carefully. Not only did Brody clearly deny saying anything about the Clinton campaign contacting anyone, the source who says he did was unnamed and therefore unreliable. No one else claims to have heard Brodie say this.
What this amounts to is nothing more than a rumor that there was any wrong-doing.

I’m not going to comment one way or the other on either candidate’s positions. The only thing I will say is that if one of the candidates had already dropped out, Wyoming probably would never see the remaining candidate. Now that both candidates know how important Wyoming’s delegates are, both are making various stops in Wyoming tomorrow (including Bill and Chelsea). Being a Wyoming native, I think it’s great for the state (and it’s political identity) to get something other than the occasional Dick Cheney visit.

Response to the post by Leslie: Leslie this is the exact arrogates the Clinton’s have and will be just another excuse of not winning. The Obama campaign needs to take the gloves off and go negative. How soon people forget the Clinton days, for you bedtime reading:

President Obama drew criticism on Thursday when he said, “we don’t have a strategy yet,” for military action against ISIS in Syria. Lawmakers will weigh in on Mr. Obama’s comments on the Sunday shows.Read more…